Compete for FSU’s Top Academic Scholarship

Friday, December 09, 2011

Top high school seniors in North Central West Virginia and around the state have the opportunity to compete for Fairmont State University’s premier academic scholarship, the Dr. Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship.

“The mission of Fairmont State University is to provide opportunities for individuals to achieve their professional and personal goals and discover roles for responsible citizenship that promote the common good. The Fairmont State experience includes so much more than our high quality academic programs. Lectures, fine arts performances and exhibits, club sports, internships and study abroad programs also give students opportunities to develop their leadership potential and broaden their horizons,” said FSU Interim President Maria Rose.

“For these reasons and many more, we believe that an FSU education is a great value for the state’s best and brightest students. FSU is proud to be able to offer this prestigious scholarship.”

For the fourth consecutive year, FSU will award its most prestigious scholarship to three of the state’s top students. The competitive scholarship includes tuition and fees, room and board and a book stipend. The application deadline is Feb. 15, 2012. For more information or to apply, students should visit www.fairmontstate.edu/presidentialscholarship.

“Fairmont State University provides high-achieving students with the tools they need to channel their motivation into successful lives,” said Lori Schoonmaker, Interim Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment. “We’re excited to be able to reward students for their hard work in high school.”

Presidential Scholarship winners for 2011 were Daniel Fernandes, Samuel “Miles” Smith and Kelsey Whitt. They were honored in May 2011 at the Academic Awards Celebration. Fernandes, the son of Ricardo and Mirian Fernandes, is a graduate of Jefferson High School in Harpers Ferry. Smith, the son of Glenn and Lisa Smith, is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley. Kelsey Whitt, the daughter of Michael and Melissa Whitt, is a graduate of Independence High School in Beckley.

All applicants are eligible to participate in the Honors Program, which provides students with the opportunity to deepen their academic experience through smaller classes taught by some of the University’s finest faculty, field trips in the United States and abroad and extracurricular activities on and off campus. Students in the Honors Program may elect to live in the Robert M. Grattan Honors Residence in Bryant Place.

“Honors students find that studying and socializing with other like-minded students helps them to make the most of their university experience,” said Dr. J. Robert Baker, director of the Honors Program.

To compete for the Presidential Scholarship, named by the FSU Board of Governors in honor of Dr. Charles J. McClain who served as FSU’s interim president from 2008-2009, students must meet the following criteria:

Be a high school senior.

Live in West Virginia.

Have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.5.

Have an ACT composite score of 26 or SAT composite score of 1190 (excluding writing score).

Be a PROMISE Scholarship recipient.

Submit a Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship application (including a 450-word essay about how the scholarship would help the student achieve his or her educational goal).